MongoDB Atlas Visits the AWS SF Pop-Up Loft

Jay Gordon
October 27, 2016 | Updated: December 8, 2016
#Community#Events#Company

Amazon Web Services recently hosted Database Architecture Week at the AWS San Francisco Pop-Up Loft. Guests learned how to implement AWS tools and were also introduced to MongoDB Atlas in a session that I led. Distributed database systems and the underlying architectures they use was the hot topic, which meant I was extremely fortunate to get the invitation to talk with everyone about MongoDB Atlas.

![](https://webassets.mongodb.com/_com_assets/cms/AWS_MongoDBAtlas_Blog-ftats639n9.png)

First of all, the space was amazing; the AWS team has put together an incredible aesthetic — everything from the copy of The Beatles Abbey Road on the wall to the giant CODE HAPPY sign.

![](https://webassets.mongodb.com/_com_assets/cms/AWS_MongoDBAtlas_2-a0bbwdmi7a.png)

Some of the attendees already had some prior knowledge or exposure to MongoDB, but during the 20 minutes or so that I presented, I was able to explain the explosion in popularity of the database amongst developers and ops professionals. Developers love discussing their software and achievements. When you review this graphic below, it’s evident how much people love discussing MongoDB and the projects they’ll built with it. When you consider other major players who have been building databases for nearly 20+ years, it's quite spectacular how many people are putting their trust in MongoDB.

![](https://webassets.mongodb.com/_com_assets/cms/MongoDBAtlas_Growing_Database-ctimn9p9zm.png)

After giving a brief explanation on our rich query language, document flexibility and aggregation framework, I spoke about MongoDB Atlas, which was easily the star of the discussion. MongoDB Atlas is our fully managed database as a service platform that provides users with an easy way to start building apps with a fast, secure, and redundant database system; great for both rookies and veterans of MongoDB.

One of the key points of the discussion explained how many organizations no longer want to focus their energies on hardware acquisition and implementation. Because of cloud technologies like MongoDB Atlas, operational burdens are greatly reduced, allowing you to spend more time on building software and less time on keeping the lights on, so to speak.

![](https://webassets.mongodb.com/_com_assets/cms/AWS_Loft_MongoDB_Atlas3-anwwqrqup3.png)

My favorite parts of presenting are always the Q&A and being able to people 1-on-1. One of my favorite conversations came from a developer who asked me, "How do you get people to learn more about your software?" We talked about MongoDB University and all the free courses we've made available to our users. I also discussed some personal experiences where I’ve used MongoDB to find ways to learn new things about myself. I explained how I was able to take my Twitter account, export the data provided into a CSV, and import all of it directly into MongoDB Atlas. I got to query on certain subjects using the aggregation framework and found some moments in time I wished I could relive. One developer really appreciated this idea and mentioned that he was going to introduce it to a nephew who's currently a computer science student.

![](https://webassets.mongodb.com/_com_assets/cms/MongoDBAtlas_AWSLoft-lj9ueqs9eh.png)

As the evening came to a close, it was time for me to head out, but not before I gave out some Rubik’s Cubes and MongoDB Atlas credits! I had a few more conversations with some brilliant people, including a woman who wanted to attend our MongoDB World in Chicago this year to further her knowledge and meet others building new and huge things. Hope to see her there!

My next stop — AWS re:Invent in Las Vegas.

Join me there and we can chat about MongoDB Atlas and the incredible things people are building with it.

Try MongoDB Atlas today

About the Author - Jay Gordon

Jay Gordon is a Technical Account Manager with MongoDB and is available via our chat to discuss MongoDB Cloud Products at https://cloud.mongodb.com

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Robert Fehrman: Giant of the Month, September

MongoDB customers and community members are the people who realize GIANT ideas. We are excited to begin highlighting some of our community members, our MongoDB Giants, who are tackling challenging problems and bringing solutions to life with MongoDB. September’s Giant of the Month is Robert Fehrman, Senior Architect at Snagajob, a site that aims to put people in the right fit positions so they can maximize their potential and live more fulfilling lives. ![](https://webassets.mongodb.com/_com_assets/cms/Robert_Fehrman_MongoDB-yzlqzop8id.png) Robert has been working with Database technologies for over 30 years. Back then the newest kid on the block was Oracle. Over the years Robert has worked on countless applications, small and big, development and administration, always staying close to the data tier. While requirements against the data tier continuously increased the capabilities of traditional data systems didn't keep up with the pace. Five years ago Snagajobs growth outpaced the incremental improvements on their relational systems, and Robert was searching for a new database that could handle their continued growth. In 2011 MongoDB was still lacking major features but it had incredible potential. It was a Giant Idea and the bet paid off big time for Snagajob. Read how Snagajob turned a calculated risk into a huge success Since then Robert has taken almost all the courses at MongoDB University, has been a founding member of the Richmond MUG, which celebrated it's 3rd anniversary in October of last year. And when Snagajob opened an office in Arlington, VA, Robert joined the Washington DC MUG, became a co-organizer and convinced Snagajob to provide the community with the same support for the DC community that the Richmond community has enjoyed for years. Robert also enjoys working with Hadoop, Vertica, and exploring new DevOps and cloud technologies. In his spare time Robert likes to travel with his wife and two daughters, sailing big boats and flying kites. Read Robert’s story on why he bet on MongoDB five years ago and why he and his team continue to use the database today. Have your voice heard in the MongoDB community. Join our Advocacy Hub and start getting involved today. Join the Advocacy Hub

October 26, 2016
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Women Leaders at MongoDB: Lena Smart Discusses Clarity and Goal Setting

March is Women’s History Month. Our women leaders series highlights MongoDB women who are leading teams and empowering others to own their career development and build together. Lena Smart, Chief Information Security Officer, explains why words matter, shares her thoughts on leadership, and discusses MongoDB’s internal mentorship program “MentorHER”. Tell me a bit about your team. My team is responsible for all aspects of security of MongoDB’s global offices and employees. Within my organization I have Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) and InfoSec (security engineering, physical security, etc.) under me. We are dedicated to making every effort to protect customer data, including continually improving security processes and controls. On top of that, we are committed to delivering the highest levels of standards conformance and regulatory compliance as part of our ongoing mission to address the most demanding security and privacy requirements of our customers. My goal is to build the best security and GRC team in the world. What characteristics make a good leader? In my opinion, good leaders are decisive and leave little room for ambiguity. They are understanding and know that people are depending on them for their careers, dreams, and aspirations. They make their work matter every day, are focused on continuous learning, and do not “rest on their laurels.” What has your experience been like as a woman growing your career in leadership? My experience as a woman leader has depended on the environment. It was very difficult as a CIO and CISO in the power industry. Every day I felt like I was being undermined by my peers, who (because they were all “power industry engineers”) felt they were the experts in everything to do with security (they were not). It was exhausting. I finally left and joined a FinTech company. That was better, but I still felt I could find an environment where women were actively encouraged to lead. Hence my move to MongoDB. I could not be happier here and love working with all our teams. Tell us about the biggest lesson you’ve learned throughout your career. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that words matter. As a leader, people can interpret your words in many ways. Be clear in your message. I have a mantra on our team: “one voice, one message”. I encourage my team members to have all the internal discussion they want, but we do not ever air our dirty laundry in public. We stand with “one voice, one message”. People in general like clarity, and we try hard to enforce that idea within my team by encouraging each person to own what they do. What’s your advice for building and developing a team? I believe cultivating a supportive and positive team culture stems from the top down. I really embrace and follow MongoDB’s company values . Build Together is the main value I follow because, to me, people are everything. You need the right people in the right places owning what they do. I am also a huge advocate for people taking the initiative and building upon their own careers. I make sure to set aside a budget for training and certification programs for my team. This allows them to enhance their knowledge and helps them grow and develop into even stronger security and GRC professionals. I also started the Security Champions Program at MongoDB almost four years ago, a volunteer-based program that allows anyone who has an interest in security to join monthly meetings to learn more. Can you tell us a bit about the MentorHER program at MongoDB? I am honored to be the Executive Sponsor for a very important internal program called MentorHER. MentorHER aims to create diverse teams, develop female leaders, drive organizational changes, and enhance MongoDB’s reputation as an employer of choice. I’ve had a couple of mentors who made a positive impact on my career. I cherished our time together and made sure to have a clear understanding of the mentoring program I signed up for. There were goals, regular meetings, and a lot of positivity generated by mentoring. I hope we can replicate that at MongoDB with our MentorHER program. We have a very strong team leading the program, and I feel very confident that we will meet our goals and embrace the different experiences and perspectives of the women around us. What is your advice to women looking to grow their careers as leaders? My advice to other women is this: be clear and honest in what you want from a leadership role. At the C-suite level you will be pulled in many directions. Control that, from the start, where possible. It’s important to be intellectually honest and have clear goals that will help your team grow and mature, and the business flourish. Join a team that builds together every day. View open career opportunities at MongoDB.

March 27, 2023